


The Fundamental Properties of Friendship

by medusa20



Category: The Big Bang Theory
Genre: Angst, F/M, Friendship, Sequel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-06-17
Updated: 2012-06-17
Packaged: 2017-11-07 23:40:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,977
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/436717
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/medusa20/pseuds/medusa20
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The sequel to The Uncertainty Principle. Jeremy's in town; Penny has a plan and Sheldon is channeling Nebraska</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Length

**Author's Note:**

> Fundamental properties 
> 
> A property that cannot be defined in simpler terms other than to describe how it is measured;

The pain in the ball of Penny's foot spread right up her leg and into her back. Standing on her feet hustling cheesecake for hours a day was taking its toll. She leaned next to the kitchen door rubbing her foot. Three more hours then home to a hot bath. The cramp settled into a dull ache and Penny walked out towards her tables. Crap! Sheldon was here. She was too tired to deal with him tonight but she walked towards the beverage station to get his lemonade anyway.

As she approached the table, she stopped. Today was Thursday- pizza night. Sheldon wouldn't be here on pizza night. He certainly wouldn't be here alone. Lemonade in hand, Penny neared the table. Why he insisted on reading the menu, she'd never know. His order had already been placed after she got his lemonade.

"Hey, Moonpie.' she greeted from behind placing the drink in front of him. "What's the occasion?" When he turned, she realized her gaffe. This wasn't Sheldon though he did have a beard like that once(an oddly attractive beard which she really shouldn't be thinking about right now.).

"Well, I had no idea the wait staff in this establishment was so friendly." the customer replied smiling at her.

"I'm so sorry." she apologized unnerved by the intense stare he was giving her. "You looked like one of my regular customers from the back. My name is.."

"Penelope." he said softly. Penny actually broke into goose bumps. No one had called her that since a long ago summer.

"It's Penny. Do I know you?" her brows drew together.

"You don't recognize me?"

Penny looked at this man. Brown hair a bit longer than was in style now. Clothes- jeans, button down blue stripe shirt with a blazer. Definitely not someone she had ever dated. Eyes- hazel flecked with blue. Her stomach dropped to her shoes and a flush crept into her face. This was the last person she ever expected to see and the last person she'd ever want to see her like this. Why did she decide to pick up extra hours tonight? Her hand traveled to smooth back the bangs that flopped over her brow then nervously smoothed her throat.

"Jeremy?" she whispered. He nodded still smiling at her. _At least on of us is happy to see the other ,_ she thought.

"What..what are you doing here? What happened to your glasses?" Oh God, please don't let him say he came looking for her or, worse, called her mother for information. Jeremy crossed his long arms over his chest and remained seated. Neither of them moved to embrace.

"I had laser eye surgery a few years back. I'm lecturing at Stanford this week; it's Dr. Langton, now."

Penny gave a little snort. Of course.

"My area of expertise is cloning and alternate methods of organ generation and regeneration. Finding ways to heal the body without relying on organ donation." he clarified for her.

Penny nodded, ignoring the condescension in his tone. She had to extricate(a Sheldon word she 'd learned once when he caught her with milk without permission) herself from this conversation before the awkwardness became unbearable.

"What can I get you?" she prompted.

"Penelope." Jeremy chastised. "We haven't seen each other in eight years. Don't you want to catch up?"

No but she gave him a tight lipped smile.

"I'm working."

"Ah, waitressing. The stepping stone of great actresses everywhere."

Heat flooded her and her hand itched to dump that lemonade all over his Polo shirt. She wasn't proud of her lack of success with acting but at least she was doing honest work. Unlike other girls she knew trying to break into showbiz. Her feet hurt, her pride hurt so she snapped,"Look, I'm busy. Do you know what you want?"

Jeremy blinked at her tone. This Penelope was very different in some ways than the one he'd left at the quarry in Nebraska. Given the circumstances of their last meeting, he shouldn't be surprised by her reaction to him. Perhaps his remark about being a waitress was uncalled for."I'm sorry." he ducked his head and quickly gave his sandwich order, "While I appreciate the lemonade, I'd prefer water instead."

Penny hoped her hand didn't tremble when she took the glass. For months even a few years after he left, she had drafted replies and letters to him. Some full of venom and viciousness; others tear-stained and pleading. Time had almost erased the pain but seeing him again brought it all back. She punched in his order recalling all he'd said that night to her.

" _I have an IQ of 145. I'm going to MIT to study subjects you can't even spell."_ Even now, the arrogance of that statement drove her wild. He'd always felt so superior, always thought he was so much better than everyone else. Her finger paused over the screen. OH! That would be so much more satisfying than tossing a drink at him. He'd been so proud of his IQ- 145. She knew now that wasn't even genius level which started at 150.

"Ha!" she barked an idea forming in her mind.

She was sweetness and light as she returned to Jeremy's table explaining that the shock of seeing him really threw her. He was right; they should catch up. Would tomorrow afternoon over coffee work for him? Penny couldn't go all Nebraska on his ass in a way that would humiliate him as deeply as he had her. She smiled once more- but the boys could.

XXXX

When Penny entered 4A loaded down with Chinese take-out, Leonard immediately jumped up to help her while Sheldon continued to hand out plates. Finished with the task, Sheldon hovered over his spot eyeing Penny.

"Did you remember to ask for the chicken and broccoli to be diced not shredded?"

"Yes." was her automatic reply.

"Even though the menu specifies shredded?"

"Yes."

"Brown rice, not white?"

"Yes."

"Did you stop at the Korean grocery and get the good hot mustard?"

"Yes."

"Did you pick up low sodium soy sauce at the market?"

"Yes."

Satisfied about the fulfillment of his demands, Sheldon took his container and nestled happily into his spot. Penny dropped onto the cushion beside him which had unofficially become "Penny's spot.". She knew Sheldon hadn't come right out and named it but he was apt to glare at anyone who sat there whether she was in the apartment or not. Such were the subtle shifts in their friendship drawing them closer and Penny found them comforting. She bit into her allotted dumpling considering how to commence with her plan.

"You'll never guess who came into the Factory today." she told them.

"Stan Lee" from Leonard.

"Jenna Jamison" who else but Howard

"William Shatner" Raj through Howard. They all waited expectantly for Sheldon; Leonard gave him a nudge.

"I don't want to guess. The realm of possibility contains such a wide spectrum that pure conjecture would be fruitless and my dinner would grow cold." He popped a piece of broccoli into his mouth. Penny sighed.

"Look, the question was rhetorical." she told them." It was the craziest thing but yesterday, sitting at one of my tables was Jeremy."

"Jeremy?" Leonard screwed up his face in confusion.

"Really?" Sheldon said turning towards her. Penny raised her eyebrows at him and nodded.

"Well, that must have been quite a shock." Sheldon commented.

"Wait." Howard broke in, "Who is Jeremy and ," he pointed a chopstick at the physicist on her left, 'Why does **he** seem to know who Jeremy is?" Penny paused before answering.; this was the crucial part.

"Jeremy was my best friend in high school." Penny explained. "He was probably the smartest guy in town. He graduated a year early and went to MIT."

"He was also your first love." Sheldon reminded her.

"How do you know that?" Leonard cried.

"Leonard, stop shouting." Penny admonished, "Sheldon doesn't know the whole story."

"How does Sheldon know any of the story?" Leonard was not hiding his irritation well.

"Laundry" they said simulataneously while Sheldon offered her his container; she wrinkled her nose in refusal. He knew her feelings about that mustard he used.

Penny began to tell them the story although she hesitated when she reached the night of graduation. Somehow, it bothered her that Sheldon would know the real reason her relationship with Jeremy ended- that someone once before found her utterly lacking in intelligence. The other three sat there, mouths agape when she finished but whether that was from her story or that she had just swiped a dumpling from Sheldon without earning a strike, Penny couldn't tell. Sheldon had such an odd expression on his face when he asked her what happened when she saw Jeremy yesterday.

"I almost didn't recognize him.( She didn't mention that at first she thought it was Sheldon. Too weird) He has a beard and the glasses are gone. Still, he hasn't changed that much. He made a crack about my being a waitress not an actress."

"What a douche." Howard muttered. Penny smiled warmly at him. Bait taken.

"Why is he here?" Raja via Leonard asked.

"He's lecturing at Stanford. He has a PhD in bioengineering or something. He does research on cloning or growing artificial organs." Penny shrugged. Throughout that exchange, Sheldon was silent.

"Here's an interesting fact." he suddenly piped up. "An animal, using nuclear transfer technology, cloning in laymen's terms, is not truly an identical clone since the genetic material from the donor egg taints the purity of the clone." He sighed sadly, "It's what has stopped me from growing my own Leonard Nimoy."

"Really?" Howard sneered. "That's all that has stopped you?"

"It would be interesting to meet Jeremy." Leonard mused. "We could certainly show him a thing or two."

"I should say so." Sheldon cried." Three years for high school? That's hardly impressive. Even Penny finished in four."

She gave Sheldon a baleful look which was totally lost on him. "I was hoping you would say that." She turned to Leonard. "I had coffee with him today and told him all about the four of you. He's anxious to meet you."

"Bring it on!" Howard yelled. "Battle of the brains." Penny knew it wouldn't be a struggle to get the boys on her side. They had all been ridiculed at one time or another for their intelligence so it was easy for them to empathize with her.

"What do you think, Sheldon?" she met his eyes intensely blue. They stared at each other as two spot of color appeared in his cheeks.

"After the way he treated you then and yesterday?" Sheldon rose to rinse out his container so Penny wouldn't see the fury on his face. "With an IQ of 145?" He whirled around.

"Tell the bitch it's on!"


	2. Mass

"First, 'Strategy without tactics is the slower route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat'" Sheldon announced. Penny just stared completely lost.

"'To defeat your enemy, you must become your enemy'" Sheldon hinted again before throwing his hands up in exasperation, "For God's sakes, woman, don't you get it?" She turned to the others for help.

"He's quoting the Art of War." Howard explained. "Basically, he's saying we need a plan and the plan will only work if you tell us everything about Jeremy that you know."

"You couldn't just say that?" Penny barked at Sheldon who had returned to the couch. He held his hands out in supplication.

"Okay." Penny leaned in. "Jeremy is a big astronomy buff so, Raj, that will be your area."

Raj beamed giving her a thumbs up.

"Howard, Jeremy built the sets for drama and they were like four star hotels."

"Robots it is, then." Howard declared.

"Leonard, applied science is your area so go to Jeremy's lecture tomorrow that way we can understand his current work."

"Right." Leonard booted up his laptop to Google the infamous Dr. Langton.

Beside her, Sheldon bounced up and down with impatience. Penny put her hand on his wrist to still him, which it did along with everyone else in the room.

"Yeah, she just touched him." Howard replied to Raj's whisper. "And, yeah, he hasn't freaked yet."

"What am I to do?" Sheldon asked a malicious gleam in his eye. Penny drew back. Unleashing Sheldon on Jeremy seemed almost too cruel. Almost. He was literally chomping at the bit for there was nothing Sheldon loved more than lording his formidable mind over the unprepared and unsuspecting. His eagerness touched her but Penny couldn't think of a single specific task for him.

"You know what, honey?" she offered, "when the time comes, I'm sure you'll know exactly what to do." Any hopes she had of Sheldon taking that as a compliment were dashed by the crestfallen expression on his face. Penny didn't want his help? She'd always come to him before and powerlessness in their friendship was a new feeling for Sheldon.

"Oh." he said quietly. "I see." He bent to fix the left loop on his right shoe so its circumference matched the right loop. Obviously, Sheldon Lee Cooper is not as important to this plan(Penny) as he thought.

"I'll leave you to your strategy session then." he fled to his room and Penny rose to follow him.

"Crap." she muttered.

"Penny, he'll get over it." Leonard advised. "he's just mad because he's not the center of attention. He'll be back; you know he can't resist." For the next thirty minutes, the foursome outlined their plans and Sheldon resisted.

XXXX

Knock, Knock, Knock!

"Penny."

Knock, Knock, Knock!

"Penny."

Knock, Knock, Knock!

"Penny."

She was just about to go to bed. _Sheldon should have been in REM sleep by now_ , she thought going to the door. She opened it to his plaid enveloped figure. His eyes skated over her Cornhusker t shirt and came to rest where the bottom of it brushed her thighs. He licked his lips and absently ran a finger to loosen the collar of his white t shirt.

"Sheldon, are you stuck in an infinite loop again?" her palm rested on his chest. It continually struck her how easily touching him came about. Even when he was so emotionally bereft after the Arctic, she hadn't been able to do it. Then, one laundry night, she became so annoyed by his constant blathering about separating, soaking , spin cycles that she just clapped her hand over his mouth to stop the torrent of words.

They stood there, staring wide-eyed at each other for what seemed like an eternity. Sheldon's breath warmed her palm and she shivered involuntarily. For a moment, Penny thought he'd actually kissed it until the realization came that he had said her name. She drew her hand away still feeling the lip prints. Sheldon remained in shocked silence; Penny resumed folding and the touch barrier was permanently broken down.

Now, standing in her doorway, feeling Sheldon's heart pound, the same shiver dashed through her with renewed vigor.

"I shouldn't have disturbed you at this hour." Sheldon apologized turning to leave.

"I know you're upset." Penny acknowledged. He remained with his back to her.

"When we came back from the Arctic, you were the only one who understood the betrayal and humiliation inflicted upon me." Penny walked towards him.

"I didn't realize the depth of that understanding until I heard your story tonight." he continued then faced her, "You understood because of Jeremy not that ridiculous cheerleading tale."

Penny nodded. Sheldon clasped his hands behind his back, his eyes flickering once more to her legs.

"Well, " he cleared his throat, "rest assured, whatever role I do play in this, it will be more of a consolation to you than that horrible store bought pie you got me." Penny looked up at him just in time to catch a little twinkle in his eye.

"Bazinga." they said softly to each other smiling.

XXXX

However, the best laid plans of beautiful minds and a woman scorned can go awry. The strategy of Operation Takedown began to unravel the moment Leonard laid eyes on Jeremy.

Leonard was early to the lecture hall which was empty with only the stage lit up. As he neared it, Leonard heard a slightly high male voice say, "The acoustics here are completely unacceptable. I shall wear my vocal cords raw in the first twenty minutes due to forced overprojection." The voice came from the seats to Leonard's right and , with three long strides, a lanky figure bound onto the stage.

"I can assure you ,Dr. Langton, everyone will hear you just fine." the stage manager said through gritted teeth.

Leonard dropped into the nearest seat as awake of nausea engulfed him. The timbre of the voice. The motion of the hands. The beard. Even the complaints about the sound quality! Leonard was close enough to see Jeremy's eyes weren't blue to his enormous relief. That would have completely done him in.

"You out there!" That tone. Leonard had been listening to it for seven years. "Is your aural perception of my voice impacted in any way by these cottony walls?"

Leonard approached the stage, 'Dr. Leonard Hofstader." he offered his hand.

Jeremy clasped it with his long fingers, "Hofstader? Oh, yes, Penelope's friend. She mentioned you might show." Penelope? Was this guy for real?

"You've spoken to her? Leonard was thrown.

"Yes. We are trying to get me to Caltech to meet the rest of your group. So glad you could come but I didn't think this was your area of interest."

"Oh no." Leonard laughed. "I'm interested in all areas of applied science.""Then you're in for a real treat. Perhaps after, you can see the lab." Jeremy returned to the podium glaring at the spotlight.

"In what universe is that considered a warm glow?" he yelled.

XXXX

When Leonard went to meet his friends for lunch later, he was still feeling faintly sick.

"So, what's the great Dr. Langton like?" Howard squirmed eager for gossip. Leonard toyed with the peas on his plate.

"His lecture was brilliant. I was astonished by his knowledge. And his PowerPoint? I've never seen anything like it and I live with Sheldon. He really is a very accomplished man."

"What are you, nervous or something?"

"No, no." Leonard said hurriedly. "But, there are just certain physical aspects that might be a little unsettling"

"Dude, what are you talking about?" Raj asked. Leonard cast a wary eye at Sheldon who had just joined them. The resemblance was truly uncanny. He took a swallow of ginger ale before answering Raj.

"You'll really have to just see for yourself."

"So, Leonard", Sheldon chirped." Was your mission successful?"

Leonard tried to keep his voice calm but failed miserably, "He took me to the lab to see some protocols that are being run."

"And?" Sheldon prompted.

"And it was really cool!" Leonard gushed before catching Sheldon's cold stare. "I mean, it was alright."

Sheldon laid down his fork, "Leonard, am I to understand that you are fraternizing with the enemy? Weren't you supposed to find the flaws so as to expose them publicly."

"There are no flaws!" Leonard protested. "His research is impeccable. Believe me, I looked."

"I don't." Sheldon retorted. "Penny is counting on us to defend her honor and you're as smitten as a school girl." Howard's Fresca shot out of his nose at that remark. Leonard glared as he handed Wolowitz a napkin.

"You know what Sheldon? You're just pissy because Penny gave me an assignment and not you." Leonard aimed low.

Sheldon rose from the table, "And, much like in your previous relationship, you have failed her miserably." He stalked out of the cafeteria.

"OH! SNAP!" Raj jeered.


	3. Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Great appreciation goes to logiclady for a much needed touch of authenticity

Raj didn't have to wait long to find out what Leonard meant by Jeremy's "physical aspects". He was in Sheldon's office working on their data while Sheldon was hunting up some Red Vines. He was very surprised when there was a knock on the door; people at Caltech were well-schooled in leaving Sheldon alone. Raj clambered over a pile of spreadsheets to open the door and, as he later told Leonard, "experienced the most surreal moment of my life."

Sheldon was standing on the other side of the door, Well, Sheldon if he'd kept his Vandyke beard and dressed like a senior theoretical particle physicist should instead of like an eighth grader. Raj let out a squeak.

"Good afternoon," Pseudo-Sheldon said, "I'm Dr. Jeremy Langton- Penelope's friend. I had a day off from my lecture series and I thought I'd come to introduce myself. Penelope speaks very highly of her new friends." He extended a slim long-fingered hand. Raj found he could only nod; had he now lost the power of speech with men?

"Are you Dr. Cooper?"

Oddly, Raj was thinking the same thing. He found his voice, "I am Dr. Rajesh Koothrappali, an astrophysicist here(he suddenly remembered he had a Penny assignment) and a colleague of Dr. Cooper's" They shook hands warmly.

"I was a big astronomy buff as a kid." Jeremy told him. "Still am, actually."

"Yes. Penny mentioned that. Did you know.."

"I've seen the Keck telescope." Jeremy boasted.

Raj's eyes widened. He had applied twice to be part of a team that went to Maui to work with the Keck but hadn't been selected yet.

"Really?" he was intrigued in spite of himself.

"I was there on vacation. A class mate of mine from MIT worked on some of the original designs so he pulled some strings to get me a visit." Jeremy then began to describe his visit in detail with Raj peppering him with questions. Raj couldn't remember the last time he had enjoyed talking to someone who wasn't Howard so much. His broad smile withered away when Sheldon loomed in the doorway.

"Raj, who is this interrupting your work?" Sheldon demanded.

"Dr. Jeremy Langton." Jeremy turned to face Sheldon. Raj waited with bated breath for some sign of recognition from either of them.

The two men scanned each other up and down. Sheldon was slightly taller but Jeremy had more muscle tone. Sheldon finished his Red Vine; neither offered to shake hands.

"So, you're Jeremy." Sheldon crossed his arms over his robot shirt, his voice carrying an undercurrent Raj couldn't interpret. Jeremy also assumed an identical defensive posture.

"And you're Sheldon."

Raj's eyes ping-ponged back and forth. This was like being caught in the "Mirror, Mirror" episode from Star Trek. Who would have thought that _Sheldon_ would have a doppelganger?

"I read you recent publication in _Scientific America_ ," Jeremy began, "It was quite impressive."

"They usually are." Sheldon commented easing past him to stand behind his desk. Jeremy let out an uneasy laugh; Raj fought the urge to pee.

"Sheldon", Raj piped up hoping to relieve the inexplicable tension in the room, "Dr. Langton has seen the Keck." He may as well have told Sheldon that Jeremy was the star of America's Next Top Model for all the interest he showed.

"Jeremy, " Sheldon mused, "weren't you part of the research team at the University of Pittsburgh?"

Jeremy's eyes narrowed, "I did work there a few years back."

"If memory serves,", Sheldon proceeded, "that team created 716 monkey embryos via cloning of which only 33 were viable and implanted, correct?" Jeremy gave a curt nod.

"I believe none of those 33 resulted in a pregnancy so that's a success rate of zero percent." Sheldon's eyes glittered sapphire hard. "Your mother must be so proud."

"The failure was genomic reprogramming." Jeremy snapped

"It's always easier to blame the science not the scientist." Sheldon sympathized. Jeremy opened his mouth to reply but Sheldon cut him off.

"You aren't currently employed by any university, are you?"

"I'm a guest lecturer at Stanford."

"But you aren't in their employ." Sheldon insisted.

"No, Sheldon," Jeremy's irritation was clear. "I am self-employed; a subcontractor , if you will, who is invited to lecture."

Sheldon tilted his head an gave a nasty smile, "Yes. Universities tend to shy away from hiring post doctorals who can't sustain their research." Raj stood there, praying to every deity he knew that Caltech would decide to have a fire drill right now.

"Speaking of research, Sheldon" Jeremy's voice was deadly. '"Any closer to the Nobel Prize?"

Sheldon's mouth twitched and Raj decided to intervene, "Dr. Langton, come with me to the observatory and meet some of the staff here who worked on the Keck."

"That would be interesting." Jeremy conceded. "By the way, Penelope invited me for pizza on Thursday. I guess my science talk goes over her head."

"What do you mean by that?" Sheldon hissed.

Jeremy's eyes lit up. _Oh_ , Raj thought, _he found the weak spot_.

"Well, she's not very adept at conversation beyond a certain level. We met for lunch the other day and I had to explain my lecture two different ways before she grasped it. It's nice to see she hasn't changed that much."

"Perhaps the problem was your explanation rather than Penny's comprehension." Sheldon growled.

"Nevertheless, "Jeremy's expression was smug when he noticed how tightly Sheldon was gripping a pencil, "I'm looking forward to a roundtable of intellectual peers." He strolled towards the door with Raj following.

"Goodbye, Sheldon." Jeremy called over his shoulder. Sheldon still hadn't moved but, as Raj closed the door, he heard Sheldon say "Langton" in the same tone he used for the epithet "Wheaton".

**XXXX**

Penny walked over to their table and placed their beverages before them.

"Before we commence with dinner, Penny," Sheldon declared, "Raj has something he'd like to say." Raj stared at Penny in mute panic; Sheldon continued speaking.

"Raj and I had the pleasure of meeting Jeremy today."

Leonard spit his Coke across the table.

"What the hell?" Howard yelled.

"Sorry." Leonard coughed. "Ice cube down the wrong pipe."

"Why has everyone suddenly lost the ability to consume a beverage around here?" Sheldon wondered.

"Did you show Jeremy what's what about stars, Raj?" Penny asked eagerly. Silently, Raj handed her a sheaf of paper.

"It's a transcript of our meeting." Sheldon explained. "I had him write it up as punishment."

"Punishment?" Penny gave Sheldon a skewed look. "For what?"

"For spending the rest of the afternoon showing Jeremy around the astronomy department. It was either that or he had to take my class again."

Penny began reading , a frown creasing her brow as she read Raj's interactions. Suddenly, her eyes widened.

"Sheldon! You did not say that to him?"

"What? What did he say?" Howard panted.

"I did." Sheldon was nonplussed. "Keep reading." Penny quickly scanned the page then did a double take.

"Holy crap! That was harsh bringing in his mother." Concern filled her eyes as she looked down at Sheldon. It wasn't like him to be malicious. Brutally honest? Yes. Cruel? Not intentionally. Penny was beginning to think her plan for revenge was having an adverse effect on the physicist. Raj and Leonard had been no help whatsoever and she was beginning to feel the whole thing was a bit childish.

"Sheldon!" Leonard admonished. "You know better than that."

"Well, I'm sorry if I haven't subscribed to your little man crush." Sheldon barked.

"Have no fear, Penny." Howard puffed out his chest "Robot Wars are on Thursday. I will not let you down."

"Alright, enough of this." Penny put the pages down. "Raj, I can't say that I'm happy with the way things turned out and Sheldon.." He looked up at her, blue eyes so expectant of praise for defending her, for following instructions.

"Leave family out of it, okay?"

**XXXX**

Howard rushed into the lab with a revamped MONTE under his arm relieved to see Sheldon in the "arena" hunched over something on the floor."Oh, good, Sheldon, you got here early." Howard called to him.

"No, I didn't." a voice behind him said. "I'm just arriving now."

Howard whirled around to see Sheldon in all his Superman logo glory behind him. Jeremy rose from his robot on the floor and walked towards them. Howard's head whipped back and forth . Same height, same expression of annoyance, same Superman shirt, for cryin' out loud!

"I told Leonard not to let you finish the Pad Thai last night!" Howard yelled.

Sheldon gave him a quizzical look, "What are you talking about?"

"I'm Dr. Jeremy Langton." Sheldon version 2.0 extended its hand to Howard. He gawked then giggled then began to laugh. Leonard really never did have a chance with Penny, did he?

Sheldon and Jeremy both cocked their heads(in opposite directions) at Howard's uncalled for mirth. Not only did they not shake hands, neither acknowledged the other's presence. Howard regained his composure long enough to shake Jeremy's hand. He passed MONTE off to Sheldon who began tinkering with it immediately.

Jeremy's robot was beautiful. It had a four wheel base, magnets and some kind of shield. Jeremy had covered it in shiny emerald enamel paint. While it was certainly not the most advanced robot Howard had ever seen, it was the most well-constructed. The workmanship was dazzling.

"MONTE's ready." Sheldon said as Leonard and Penny walked in with Raj. Jeremy waved to Penny; she gave him a quick smile. Howard looked at the small "missile" attached to MONTE under his saw blade.

"What's this?"

"Some extra ammo infused with a little H2SO4." Sheldon answered casually.

"Battery acid!" Leonard and Howard cried.

"This is a street fight." Sheldon reminded them. "There are no rules."

"Guys, can we move this along? I have to be at work at 12." Penny chipped in.

Jeremy entered the viewing booth and greeted the four of them warmly. Sheldon stared straight ahead. Howard took MONTE's controls and the battle was on.

MONTE grazed Jeremy's robot with the saw causing a shower of sparks and Penny to shriek. His robot then held MONTE off with its magnets but Howard managed to wrench away. The two machines chased each other for a few minutes until Howard managed to get MONTE's new wedge under the other robot. With a strong thrust, their opponent was up ended, wheels spinning to the ceiling.

"Fire the missile." Sheldon said quietly.

"No." Howard protested. "It's not necessary."Jeremy worked his controls trying to right his robot.

"Finish it, Howard." Sheldon insisted again.

"Sheldon, that acid will ruin a great machine. No way." Howard held his ground.

"I said, shoot it, boy!" Sheldon twanged so thickly even Jeremy stared.

They all looked as Sheldon clapped his hand over his mouth, eyes widening with horror before he ran off. Leonard shook his head and gave a sidelong glance to Penny.

"What was that?" Jeremy inquired. Howard was still stunned but managed to rally for his friend.

"Dr. Langton, tell me about your robotic design. I've never seen anything like it."

Jeremy beamed. "Happily." and he began speaking allowing Penny to slip away unnoticed.

Knock, knock, knock.

"Sheldon."

Knock, knock, knock.

"Sheldon."

Knock, knock, knock.

"Sheldon."

"Go away."

"Sheldon, it took me twenty minutes to find your office. I have to be at work in forty five minutes and I have a fifteen minute drive." Penny pointed out. "Open the damn door."

"No."

She rolled her eyes to heaven, "Fine. When you go to work tomorrow, I'm going to dog-ear all your comic books while sitting in your spot."

The door clicked and opened. He leaned against his desk hands clasped between his knees. He wouldn't meet her eyes.

"I'm putting an end to this vendetta." Penny began." It's making you behave in ways I don't like which is saying a lot. So, as of now, it's over. Do you understand?"

He nodded still hanging his head. She knew he hated when he lost his temper; when the words of his father came out of his mouth. Penny walked over and lifted his chin. She smiled gently at him.

"I know you were just trying to defend my honor. I appreciate it but, today, it stops."

Sheldon's eyes were still gas blue with anger and something else Penny couldn't name.

"I'll see you at six for pizza." then, because she knew he was still ashamed at his lapse of control, she leaned in to kiss his cheek.

Sheldon turned slightly taking in the scent of vanilla, sunshine, and violets just behind her earlobe. She felt the light intake of breath there and her knees weakened. Penny gripped his shirt to steady herself as she stepped back. Sheldon retracted the fingers that had been reaching for her.

"Bye, Moonpie."

He didn't answer her, just watched her leave. Penny didn't want the plan to continue. She was putting an end to it. He drew a hand down his face. The violets and vanilla still in his mind with her kiss warming his cheek. Penny had ordered him to stop. Sheldon heaved a sigh. What she failed to understand was he just couldn't.


	4. Charge

Jeremy had just climbed up the first flight of stairs in Penny's apartment building when she called him. "Hey, Jeremy. I'm really sorry but I have to stay at work another hour. Just go hang out with the boys until I get home."

He made his way up the remaining stairs to stand in front of 4A. God, he hoped Sheldon wasn't the only one home. He knocked.

"Sheldon! Get the door." he heard Leonard who sounded muffled.

"Get the door what?" Sheldon sounding much closer and confused.

"Oh for crying out loud! Answer the door, you jackass!"

"Really Leonard, is that any way to make a request? Sometimes your lack of social skills astounds me." Sheldon opened the door, saw who was on the other side and began closing it again.

"Hey! Sheldon. Wait." Jeremy blocked the door with his arm. "Penelope's running late. She told me to come here." He could have sworn he heard Sheldon mutter something about panties and piñatas as he returned to his computer.

"I brought wine." Jeremy announced.

"I don't drink." Sheldon replied.

"Since theothers know you, I'm sure they do." Jeremy meandered over to the couch. Sheldon turned to look at him.

"Wait a minute. What are you doing?" Sheldon demanded.

"Sitting down."

"Don't sit down!" Sheldon yelled. Jeremy froze.

"Really , Sheldon. I can't even sit in your apartment?"

"You can sit" Sheldon acquiesced. "just not there. That's my spot."

"You have a spot?" Jeremy raised an eyebrow but moved one cushion over.

"That has always been my spot and that cushion you are currently on is Penny's spot. Feel free to recline on any other furniture or throw yourself out the window as you see fit."

Much to Jeremy's relief, Leonard, freshly showered, entered the living room. They shook hands.

"Sheldon, did you offer Jeremy a drink?" Leonard asked.

"He brought his own." Sheldon typed furiously.

"I'm fine. Thank you" Jeremy said before sitting on the far end of the couch. Leonard sat in the armchair, "When are you leaving?"

Jeremy was surprised. He thought Leonard liked him. Leonard, realizing how his phraseology came across, quickly restated, "I meant, when are you leaving California."

"Tomorrow. Back to Boston. I have a wedding to plan."

"Really? Congratulations. Did you hear that Sheldon? Jeremy's getting married."

"Huzzah." Sheldon deadpanned.

"It'll be nice to get back home." Jeremy reflected. "I've been in Boston for eight years and I love it. The best birthday gift I ever got was when I received my admission letter on my sixteenth birthday."

Sheldon snorted. Leonard knew what was coming when he saw Jeremy glare at his roommate.

"What were you doing on your sixteenth birthday, Sheldon?" Leonard dropped his head in his hands. Sheldon stopped typing.

"Let's see." he pondered. "My sixteenth birthday?" he leveled his laser gaze at Jeremy. "Defending my doctoral dissertation. My **first** doctoral dissertation." He resumed typing.

Jeremy's mouth hung open and he looked at Leonard who shrugged as if to say, you walked into that one, pal.

"You know Penelope is running late?" Jeremy asked. Leonard nodded. "What's he doing?"

"Please do not speak about me as if I am not in the room." Sheldon snapped.

"You don't seem inclined to speak to me when I am in the room." Jeremy retorted.

"For the record" Sheldon rose from his seat and approached Jeremy, "I am not inclined to speak to anyone in any room. With you, it's just to a greater degree."

Jeremy stood also, "You know , Sheldon. You can take those PhD's of yours and.."

"Let's all calm down." Leonard stood between the two feeling very much like a shrub between cedars. "We are educate gentlemen and we'll settle this in a gentlemanly fashion."

XXXX

They set up the buzzers they had used when practicing for the Physics Bowl.

"Now, "Leonard explained. "I have the computer set up to generate random trivia questions. The categories could be anything so as to ensure a level playing field. We'll play a point for each question until Penny gets here". He turned to his laptop. "or until you two kill each other."

Sheldon and Jeremy sat in straight back chairs, hands clenching the buzzers. Leonard peered at his screen.

"Okay. First question- where are the Islands of Langerhans?"

Jeremy buzzed. "In the pancreas."

"Correct." Leonard smiled. "Next one. What is the only fifteen letter word in the English language that can be written without repeating a letter?"

Sheldon buzzed. "Uncopyrightable."

"Correct."

"What does eccentricity mean to an astronomer?"

BUZZ!

"Jeremy." Leonard called.

"The degree to which an orbit deviates from a circle."

"Here's an interesting fact. The Earth's eccentricity is 0.07."

"Nobody cares Sheldon and you don't get a point for that." Leonard told him.

"Drat."

Within twenty minutes, the two men had gone through thirty five questions with Sheldon maintaining a four point lead.

"What temperature does the tungsten filament in an electric light reach when the light is turned on?"

"2,577 degrees Celsius." Jeremy shouted.

"4,664 degrees Fahrenheit." Sheldon yelled. Leonard honestly hadn't heard who buzzed first.

"Point to each." he figured that was fair.

Penny was a quarter flight away when she heard the shouting. "Niels Bohr." that was Sheldon. She continued up the stairs.

"There are 119 ridges on a quarter." Jeremy declared. What were they doing? She ran the rest of the way straight into 4A.

Sheldon and Jeremy were each standing at a whiteboard. Their faces were flushed. Jeremy's collar was unbuttoned, his sleeves rolled up. Sheldon was actually down to one shirt! Her eyes narrowed as she saw Leonard standing between them.

"Last question: Calculate the amount of energy needed to break a drop of water of diameter 0.001 meter into 1000,000 droplets of equal sizes. The surface tension of water is 0.0072 N/m."

Sheldon began writing immediately; Jeremy stood there, peeked over his board at Sheldon, gave a shrug and began jotting numbers and symbols.

"What the hell is going on here?" Penny demanded. Oh, someone was getting hogtied and castrated tonight.

"Just a little friendly competition, Penelope." Jeremy didn't move his eyes from his board. Sheldon said nothing just kept scribbling with a demented gleam in his eyes.

"Competition?" Penny repeated.

"It started as a discussion." Leonard broke in. "The it sort of devolved from there."

"Into what?" Penny couldn't believe this. "A demonstration of who has the bigger p…"

"Prefrontal cortex." Leonard finished. Penny huffed; this was ridiculous. She walked over to Sheldon.

"Sheldon," she said softly. He ignored her.

"Sheldon." she tried again.

 _Bring the coefficient over and Penny hasn't looked this upset since her underwear flew in the breeze. Decimal moves then I'll be able to show that pompous hirsute ass that delta is equal to .007 so Penny will think…_ Sheldon gave Penny a quick look.

"Why are you doing this?" her hand reached towards him then faltered. Behind her, Jeremy frantically erased and closed his eyes.

Sheldon's hand paused. _Almost finished. Tension represented by that look Penny is giving me. Water equal to 6 to the power of this wrong, wrong. Penny told me to stop. Multiply by seven. She is extremely upset with me. One more calculation then I'll be able to tell her_

He looked at her once more. "Look at you.' she indicated his ruffled hair, missing shirt and ferocious calculations. "Do you really need to do this?"

Sheldon started to speak but the words didn't come. _Yes._ _Yes I have to do this. If only to prove .00023 multiplied by the disappointment in Penny's eyes and I'm_

"Done!" Sheldon shouted throwing his marker across the room. There was a flutter of air next to him and he realized Penny was gone.

"Check the answers Leonard." he panted. Leonard walked over to Jeremy's board. After a minute, he made his way to Sheldon's

"Correct." he announced.

"Congratulations, Sheldon." Jeremy extended his hand, "I was wrong to underestimate you." Sheldon looked at that outstretched hand finally understanding the idiom "hollow victory."

"Double or nothing." he said.

"Excuse me?" Jeremy raised his eyebrows.

"Ask us one more question, Leonard. Winner gets eternal bragging rites."

"Sheldon, "Leonard warned. "I think you've made your point."

Jeremy stepped back, "Ask the question."

Leonard went back to his computer and stroked the keys.

**XXXX**

Knock, knock, knock.

"Penny."

Knock, knock, knock.

"Penny."

Knock, knock, knock.

"Penny."

She flung open the door. Sheldon was once again double shirted though his hair was still mussed. "I've come to apologize." She waited.

"When one upsets one's best friend, an apology is a non-optional social convention." His eyes pleaded for forgiveness. Ever since they initiated this stupid plan of hers, Sheldon's behavior had been erratic even for him.

"Sheldon, why does Jeremy upset you so much?"

The physicist leaned against the door frame, "I wish I knew."

"Did you at least win?"

"I lost on the last question."

Jeremy stood in the doorway across the hall observing their exchange. Sheldon leaning in towards Penny whose eyes sparkled like the night at the quarry. He gave a soft laugh. It all made sense now.

"What was the question?"

Sheldon cleared his throat, "Who was featured as the Playboy centerfold when the magazine made its debut in 1953?"

"Marilyn Monroe." Penny blurted

"Correct." Sheldon gave her one of his rare true smiles.

Wait a minute. Sheldon _knew_ that answer; _she_ knew that answer. Wolowitz had been bragging that he found the magazine mixed in with some of his comic collectibles two weeks ago. Their eyes met in a swirl of blue and green. Penny felt her stomach flip; Sheldon tugged at his sleeves.

"Apology accepted." she grinned.


	5. Extensive Property

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Extensive property.
> 
> A measurable property of a thermodynamic system is extensive if, when two identical systems are combined into one, the value of that property of the combined system is double its original value in each system

Jeremy opted not to stay for pizza claiming an early flight and dealing with the rental car company. He shook Leonard's hand and extended a warm invitation to MIT to him. Jeremy then turned to Sheldon who had not moved from Penny's side.

"Dr. Cooper." he acknowledged.

"Well played, Dr. Langton." Sheldon replied.

They still didn't shake hands.

Penny walked Jeremy to his car.

"It was very nice seeing you again, Penelope."

"You, too."

"And meeting your friends? That was quite an honor."

Penny scoffed, "Laying it on a little thick there, sweetie."Jeremy leaned against his rental car; Penny faced him.

"You have no idea who they are, do you?" he challenged. Penny's look was enough of an answer.

"Oh wow." Jeremy was astounded. "The second you told me their names, I was floored and I had to meet them."

"Jeremy, what are you talking about?"

"Penelope, in the science world, those four "nerds" you hang out with are like rock stars due to their youth and their extraordinary accomplishments. I actually had to read and write a response to a paper of Sheldon's when I was an undergrad at MIT"

Penny felt as if she was on Punk'd. Any minute Ashton Kutcher would come running at her. Either that, or Sheldon would scream "Bazinga!" from the window above.

"I'll send you the paper I had to write about. Sheldon was probably eighteen or nineteen when it was published." Jeremy offered noting her disbelief. Penny nodded absently; she was still trying to process "rock stars of science"

Their silence was comfortable. Jeremy marveled at how little she had changed in some ways and yet she was so vastly different from the girl he knew in Nebraska. He decide one more revelation before he left was in order.

"He loves you, you know."

Penny's head shot up, "Leonard?" she said automatically. "We dated for a while. We've managed to stay friends but I suppose he still harbors some form of romantic attachment to me." Jeremy shook his head; she was so gone she didn't even realize when she parroted Sheldon.

"I'm not talking about Leonard." Jeremy said. Penny was confused; he certainly didn't mean Howard or Raj. Those two were a mystery unto themselves.

"Sheldon!" she laughed outright but a minuscule flame flickered at the thought. "Sheldon only loves science and his Meemaw."

"Ah, Penelope. You never could see what was right in front of you."

"I saw you." she told him softly causing him to redden. "and you're wrong about Sheldon. We're friends but nine times out of ten we fight and…"

"He never takes his eyes off you." Jeremy interrupted. "Defends you at a moments' notice. Values your opinion above all others. He's doing what I did eight years ago."

Penny chewed on her lower lip, "You don't know Sheldon." was her only comment. Jeremy gave her a one-armed hug and pressed his lips to her temple.

"I know him a lot better than you think and so do you."

They said their goodbyes with the usual empty promises about keeping in touch. Jeremy drove off leaving Penny, once again, under a canopy of stars.

**XXXX**

For a week after Jeremy left, Penny kept to herself telling the boys she needed some girl time. She worked, had a few call backs and mulled over Jeremy's assessment of Sheldon. What were her feelings toward the physicist? Did she want to deal with all his quirks, whims and idiosyncrasies? Sheldon on a good day was exhausting.

Still, her week of exile from him was one of the loneliest she'd ever spent. Penny found herself leaning against her door listening to Sheldon and Leonard leave for work just to hear his voice. On Saturday, she watched through the peephole as Sheldon paced outside her door , began to knock, pulled away, and paced again . He repeated the pattern twice more before going downstairs. It was 8:20 by then.

She went out with her friends that night and tried not to think about Sheldon. Specifically, she tried not to think about the warmth of his lips on her palm. His easy genuine laugh(she was pretty sure she was the only person to ever hear it) instead of that bizarre snort when she told a joke he actually understood. The way his eyes burned blue fire when he saw her in her Cornhusker shirt. The way her knees disappeared at the feel of his breath on her neck.

The next evening, Penny strode across the hall and opened the door. Sheldon was wiping down game controls with disinfectant."Hello Penny." he greeted her as if she hadn't been absent for a week and gave the left button a hard scrub.

"Come up to the roof with me." she ordered.

Sheldon paled, "There are dirty socks up there."

"I'll protect you." she motioned for him to get up with her hand. He rose from the floor tentatively.

"I'm glad you're back." he said simply as they walked up the stairs. His eyes were ocean blue tonight, calm instead of the shards of ice from two weeks ago.

"Me, too." though Penny knew he didn't get the implication.

_Finis_


End file.
